Shop Chairman’s Report

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Apprentice List: The Apprentice list for testing is purged after every testing cycle, and those people wishing to test must reapply.

New People: We have just had our second requisition for 20 new people filled. On December 1 the last nine people will get here. Please welcome them and help them adjust in their new environment.

Apprentices: The requisition for apprentice’s has been finalized and will be submitted. Tentative numbers are as follows: MW-9, MR-5, Elec-3, PF-5, HVAC-1, T&D-26, Sta. Eng-1. Everyone needs to remember that we request Apprentice numbers, but we may end up with a certain amount of Journeymen. There are quite a few Journeymen in the system that want to come here, and they are a factor. In the last agreement there were 50 Apprentices negotiated, and we received 26 along with 49 Journeymen. Neither the International Union or the Corporation are interested in leaving Journeymen in Job Banks at other locations when we are putting on new social security numbers.

63 Transfers and Applications: There is no limit to how many 63 transfer applications you have on file, and they will not expire like they have in the past under this agreement. There won’t be any more temporary transfers like we’ve known in the past, and anyone in training that has not already been classified will retain their wage and overtime rights from the group they hold seniority. All production and skilled trades departments are considered as one in separate categories for transfer, so 63 A2 does not apply.

Demand 33: The new guidelines for Demand 33 will be developed within six months of ratification. Today however, the accepted practice for losing a demand job is taking another one or being off it for one year, (sick leave, educational leave) leaving the shift or the department.

The Scope of Selection for Leader: Whether in production or skilled, the scope of selection for leader is that you have to hold the classification that is being led before being a leader there. For instance to be a Leader-1208 in metal assembly, you have to be a production Tech-1207 in metal assembly. The only deviation that I am aware of from this is in Memo form and signed by the parties, and that let if necessary 1207’s in Metal apply for 1208 jobs in the Press Room. So far this has not been needed, although it could have happened this summer.

RT Wage: The RT wage ended up a little below the leader wage, because they won’t be leading people or have the same kind of responsibilities that leaders have. It ended up being a compromise to the highest paid wage classification to leader in the shop. Today the leader classification is the highest paid production classification in the shop. There have been a few people drop out of the pilot, but the work will go on without them. The new local agreement did change the way we originally thought the RT training would go, because it was based on the way we used to do things. Today training can be done five days a week on straight time, and the person training will have the opportunity to work the overtime in the classification in which they hold seniority.

In the past, people would be temporarily transferred and not been allowed to work overtime in either activity unless everyone else had been asked. Training that goes on without an opening then disadvantaged the people taking the training. Take for instance Production Tech at a wage of $23.94 and training for hi lo driver at $23.58. They were temporarily transferred and got the lower wage while training and didn’t get to work overtime in either place except through augmentation.

What this boils down to is we’ll say 50 cents an hour for a 40 hour week adds up to $20. One eight hour Saturday equals approximately $290, and four hours over is about half that or $145. So even a little overtime goes a long way when it comes to any kind of training schedule. If the pilot is successful and the classification is approved, then people could be transferred in and start getting whatever the wage is provided there were openings, and they were classified immediately. They would however be locked out of overtime for the duration of the training program except as augmentation allows.

Air Conditioning for Smoking Huts: This is scheduled for completion April 1, 2004.

Sleeve Policy Revision: Scheduled for completion April 1, 2004.

00-1 and 00-2: These presses will be totally idled by March 1, 2004 and the tear outs will start. 00-2 will be idled first with the work being transferred within the shop. This location will transfer some 00-1 work within the shop and some will be sent to another GM plant.

If there is anyone who may wish to transfer with the work going to Flint, they need to contact their committeeperson and let them know. We do not want to ship empty cell slots to another plant, because we asked for 96 move and no one went. There is no guarantee that we would get a 96 move; but if there is interest, we will pursue it. Anyone wishing to move, you would only take the seniority you have here.

Mezzanine, Press Installation, and Other Work: Production is the first priority for the maintenance department and anything that supports it. Second will be the new press installation and everything else comes after that. I’ve heard that Tom McLean said the mezzanine project would be subcontracted or something along those lines. No one knows at this point what if anything will have to be subcontracted.

We all know that based on probable schedules we won’t be able to accomplish all the work anticipated. The press installation will take predominately MR, Elec, and Pipefitters. Where as the mezzanine doesn’t require any MR, but it will require Elec, Pipefitters, and MW’s. We will have to cross the subcontracting bridge when we come to it.

Die Makers: TDO will be submitting a requisition for Journeymen as soon as we’re done filling the one for apprentices. It has been decided to do this one at a time so no one gets confused in the process. These die makers will be used to back fill the die makers moving from MFD to TDO to fill machine openings.

Maintenance Teams: Are off and running. The first three teams have received team training and are communicating with each other and the production teams in their zones. I told each one of the teams at their report out basically the same thing. If there isn’t any production in this plant, then they need zero die makers, zero production support, zero production workers, and one electrician, one pipe fitter maybe, and maybe one millwright just to maintain the building.

If production doesn’t succeed, then TDO won’t survive on its own; and everyone should know that. Everything in this plant supports some kind of production, whether it’s dies or parts. If we ever lose focus of that fact, then we will ultimately fail in all our goals.

Delphi Flow Backs: In the national highlight booklet, it stated that Delphi flow backs would be on a two for one. Two from Delphi and one from the street; there is a qualifier for that formula. The plant receiving the flowbacks would have to have a requirement to hire in order for that formula to be implemented.

Unfortunately in some regards, we are over our baseline minimum in the production activity. Therefore, no requirement to hire, just a need to run. It seems a little misleading from the way it was stated, but it was clarified during the information meeting held at the Local. I’m looking forward to new hires as much as anyone, but it isn’t going to happen solely as a result of this language.

63 Lists: Those classifications that have been combined are being removed from the lists and the applications are being purged. So if you have an application in for hooker, die setter, die set leader, mechanical devices, device leader, try out, try out leader, panel checker, forward planning, or inspector tool and die fixtures (both areas MFD and TDO) all these applications have been purged.

Application for crane operator will remain and be treated as movement team 1. Any application for salvage will be treated as one with no difference in department. Applications for die maker (all 8221) and die maker (all leader 8220) will be accepted starting now, and the EOH lists for these groups won’t be combined until the first of the year due to training obligations.

Vacation Filing Period: The vacation filing period for the first four months of 2004 is during the month of November.

Remember if you have a question ask it, a mind is a terrible thing to waste.

Mike Mansfield

Shop Chairman

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